• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.157-179
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to examine psychological and behavioral characteristics of parents from low income families and to figure out the influence of these parents' characteristics upon children's problematic behaviors by comparing two-parent families and single-parent families. The subjects in this study were 193 parents who participated in a dream- start program geared toward low-income families. Their psychological and behavioral characteristics were tested, and their children's problem behaviors were investigated. As a result, the children from intact families in the low-income classes showed more problem behaviors when their parents faced heavier parental stress, and they showed less problem behaviors when their parents were more satisfied with their relationship with them. In contrast, the children from single-parent families in the low-income brackets showed less problem behaviors when their parents had better dietary habits and were more satisfied with their daily routine life, and they showed more problem behaviors when their parents were under heavier parental stress. The findings of the study seem to suggest that the development of parental and parent education programs is required to relieve the problem behaviors of children from the low-income classes and improve the parental behavior of their parents, and that a wide variety of assistance should be provided in consideration of the current marital status of parents as well.